Recently, Superior Plus Energy Services, Inc. announced that the company experienced a cybersecurity event resulting in the sensitive information of certain individuals being compromised.

If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk. More about our investigation into this breach, and what you can do if your data was stolen, is available here.

Last year, 1,862 data breaches affected more than 189 million people. On average, victims of identity theft spend 200 hours and over $1,300 recovering their identity. Many victims also suffer emotional distress, credit damage, and may even end up with a criminal record. Taking immediate action is the best way to prevent the worst consequences of a data breach.

What We Know So Far About the Superior Plus Propane Data Breach

According to an official filing from the company, on December 13, 2021, Superior Plus learned that an unauthorized party had gained access to portions of its computer network. In response, the company secured its network and launched an investigation to learn more about the incident. The investigation confirmed that the unauthorized party was able to access and potentially remove data from the Superior Propane network.

While the compromised information varies based on the consumer, it may include your employee identification number, credit card number and debit card number.

On March 25, 2022, Superior Plus Propane began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.

Superior Plus Energy Services, Inc. is a distributor and marketer of propane and other energy sources. The company also provides equipment and services to its customers. Superior Plus Energy Services operates several subsidiaries across the United States and Canada, including Superior Propane, NGL Propane, and Superior Gas Liquids. The company is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and employs over 4,300 people. Superior Plus Energy Services, Inc. generates approximately $3 billion in annual revenue.

More About the Causes and Risks of Data Breaches

Often, data breaches are the result of a hacker gaining unauthorized access to a company’s computer systems with the intention of obtaining sensitive consumer information. While no one can know the reason why a hacker targeted Superior Plus, it is common for hackers and other criminals to identify those companies believed to have weak data security systems or vulnerabilities in their networks.

Once a cybercriminal gains access to a computer network, they can then access and remove any data stored on the compromised servers. While in most cases a company experiencing a data breach can identify which files were accessible, there may be no way for the company to tell which files the hacker actually accessed or whether they removed any data.

While the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach does not necessarily mean it will be used for criminal purposes, being the victim of a data breach puts your sensitive data in the hands of an unauthorized person. As a result, you are at an increased risk of identity theft and other frauds, and criminal use of your information is a possibility that should not be ignored.

Given this reality, individuals who receive a Superior Plus Propane data breach notification should take the situation seriously and remain vigilant in checking for any signs of unauthorized activity. Businesses like Superior Plus are responsible for protecting the consumer data in their possession. If evidence emerges that Superior Plus failed to adequately protect your sensitive information, you may be eligible for financial compensation through a data breach lawsuit.

What Are Consumers’ Remedies in the Wake of the Superior Plus Data Breach?

When customers decided to do business with Superior Plus, they assumed that the company would take their privacy concerns seriously. And it goes without saying that consumers would think twice before giving a company access to their information if they knew it wasn’t going to be secure. Thus, data breaches such as this one raise questions about the adequacy of a company’s data security system.

When a business, government entity, non-profit organization, school, or any other organization accepts and stores consumer data, it also accepts a legal obligation to ensure this information remains private. The United States data breach laws allow consumers to pursue civil data breach claims against organizations that fail to protect their information.

Of course, given the recency of the Superior Plus Propane data breach, the investigation into the incident is still in its early stages. And, as of right now, there is not yet any evidence suggesting Superior Plus is legally responsible for the breach. However, that could change as additional information about the breach and its causes is revealed.

If you have questions about your ability to bring a data breach class action lawsuit against Superior Plus Propane, reach out to a data breach attorney as soon as possible.

What Should You Do if You Receive a Superior Plus Propane Data Breach Notification?

If Superior Plus Propane sends you a data breach notification letter, you are among those whose information was compromised in the recent breach. While this isn’t a time to panic, the situation warrants your attention. Below are a few important steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft and other fraudulent activity:

1. Identify What Information Was Compromised: The first thing to do after learning of a data breach is to carefully review the data breach letter sent. The letter will tell you what information of yours was accessible to the unauthorized party. Be sure to make a copy of the letter and keep it for your records. If you have trouble understanding the letter or what steps you can take to protect yourself, a data breach lawyer can help.

2. Limit Future Access to Your Accounts: Once you determine what information of yours was affected by the breach, the safest play is to assume that the hacker orchestrating the attack stole your data. While this may not be the case, it’s better to be safe than sorry. To prevent future access to your accounts, you should change all passwords and security questions for any online account. This includes online banking accounts, credit card accounts, online shopping accounts, and any other account containing your personal information. You should also consider changing your social media account passwords and setting up multi-factor authentication where it is available.

3. Protect Your Credit and Your Financial Accounts: After a data breach, companies often provide affected parties with free credit monitoring services. Signing up for the free credit monitoring offers some significant protections and doesn’t impact any of your rights to pursue a data breach lawsuit against the company if it turns out they were legally responsible for the breach. You should contact a credit bureau to request a copy of your credit report—even if you do not notice any signs of fraud or unauthorized activity. Adding a fraud alert to your account will provide you with additional protection.

4. Consider Implementing a Credit Freeze: A credit freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit report. Credit freezes are free and stay in effect until you remove them. Once a credit freeze is in place, you can temporarily lift the freeze if you need to apply for any type of credit. While placing a credit freeze on your accounts may seem like overkill, given the risks involved, it’s justified. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (“ITRC”), placing a credit freeze on your account is the “single most effective way to prevent a new credit/financial account from being opened.” However, just 3% of data breach victims place a freeze on their accounts.

5. Regularly Monitor Your Credit Report and Financial Accounts: Protecting yourself in the wake of a data breach requires an ongoing effort on your part. You should regularly check your credit report and all financial account statements, looking for any signs of unauthorized activity or fraud. You should also call your banks and credit card companies to report the fact that your information was compromised in a data breach.

Below is a copy of the initial data breach letter issued by Superior Plus Energy Services, Inc.:

Dear [Consumer],

Superior Plus recently experienced a cybersecurity event. Please read this notice carefully, as it provides up-to-date information on what happened and what we are doing, as well as information on what you can do and how you can obtain free credit monitoring and identity theft protection.

What happened?

On December 13, 2021, Superior Plus detected a security matter involving unauthorized access to portions of our IT systems. Immediately after detecting unauthorized access to our systems, we took steps to shut down the unauthorized access, restore systems to minimize disruption to Company operations, and enhance security controls across our Company. Leading cybersecurity firms were engaged to assist us in our investigation into what happened, what data was impacted, and to whom the data belongs.

What information was involved?

We want to notify you that we have determined that some of your personal information was accessed and/or acquired without authorization. This information falls into the following categories of data: employee identification number, credit or debit card number.

What we are doing:

Superior Plus is committed to safeguarding confidential and sensitive information. Superior Plus is offering two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection insurance and restoration services through our preferred third-party vendor, Cyberscout. This is at no cost to you.

Please see Attachment A for details regarding these services, as well as how to enroll with your unique code. If you would like to obtain these services, please visit https://www.myidmanager.com. You must enroll by July 31, 2022, to receive these services and insurance.

In addition to these actions, Superior Plus has taken additional steps to enhance our security program, including reinforcing our security practices and is actively reviewing our systems to enhance security monitoring and controls, and to fortify the same. And, as part of our ongoing security operations, we regularly review our security and privacy policies and procedures and implement changes when needed to enhance our information security and privacy programs and controls.

What you can do:

In addition to enrolling in the credit monitoring and identity theft protection insurance and restoration services being offered to you at no charge, we encourage you to take the following precautions:

• It is always a good idea to remain vigilant against threats of identity theft or fraud, and to regularly review and monitor your account statements and credit history for any signs of unauthorized transactions or activity.

• If you ever suspect that you are the victim of identity theft or fraud, you can contact your local police. Additional information about how to protect your identity is contained in Attachment B.

• It is always a good idea to be alert for “phishing” emails by someone who acts like they know you or are a company that you may do business with and requests sensitive information over email, such as passwords, government identification numbers, or bank account information.

For more information:

Superior Plus has established a dedicated call center to answer questions about the cybersecurity event as well as the CyberScout services that we are offering to you. If you have any questions, please call the call center at 1-800-405-6108, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, except holidays. Representatives are available for 90 days.